ASIAN GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Jeev re-enters world top 50 Super Singh claims Barclays Jeev can overhaul Brown for OoM Sergio Garcia is new world no. 2 Garcia takes HSBC in a playoff Asian Tour releases 2009 schedule Report predicts 30% China golf growth GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Singh holds off major champions to win Stanford wins Lorena Ochoa Invitational Singh re-enters the World Top 50 Ballesteros likely to leave intensive care PGA Tour releases 2009 schedule

Thongchai targets Brunei title

Two-time Asian Tour number one Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand will lead a cast of champions at the eagerly awaited US$300,000 Brunei Open from August 24-27.

After spending the past few months on the international front, Thongchai will be determined to sparkle on more familiar ground at the majestic Empire Hotel and Country Club in the sultanate.

Thongchai, the Asian number one in 2001 and 2004, will also be looking to end an 18-month title drought and said the Brunei Open would provide him with another opportunity to bag his eighth career title.

"It's been a while since I last won a tournament," said Thongchai. "You can never tell in golf. It (winning) can happen anytime."

Thongchai has enjoyed another globe-trotting year where the main highlight was a maiden appearance at the US Masters in April where he missed the halfway cut. While he has registered two top-three finishes on the Asian Tour which has pushed him to fifth place on the UBS Order of Merit, the Thai star has also performed admirably in Europe with two recent top-20 finishes in the Smurfit Kappa European Open and the Barclays Scottish Open.

With his all-round solid play, he is strongly tipped to contend at the challenging Jack Nicklaus-designed Empire course. This year, Thongchai finished runner-up at the Maybank Malaysian Open, third at the Enjoy Jakarta HSBC Indonesia Open and was in the top-10 at the Bangkok Airways Open.

Another Thai player who will head full speed to Brunei with renewed confidence is Chawalit Plaphol, who enjoyed the perfect end to the first half of the Asian Tour season with victory at the Bangkok Airways Open in June.

"Winning the Bangkok Airways Open was good as it helped rebuild my confidence. I didn't have a very good front half of the year before that victory," said the sweet-swinging Chawalit.

A starry line-up of Asian Tour winners will also be on parade in Brunei. Australian Scott Strange, who won his second career title at the Philippine Open, will lead the foreign contingent.

The talented Aussie cruised to a five-stroke victory in Manila and will be joined by the likes of Thai veteran Boochu Ruangkit, a five-time winner on the Asian Tour, and South African Hendrik Buhrmann, who lifted the inaugural Aamby Valley Asian Masters in India in May.

Other Asian Tour champions in the elite field include Mardan Mamat, who wrote history this year by becoming the first Singaporean to win a European Tour co-sanctioned event at the Osim Singapore Masters.

Englishman Chris Rodgers, the Asian Tour Qualifying School winner, will be determined to reassert himself. He is gunning for a repeat performance as he won the Pakistan Open the week after his Qualifying School success in January.

Simon Yates will also be yearning for a successful return to action. The slightly built Scotsman was layed off due to a shoulder injury earlier this year and will be eager to make up for lost time.

Three-time winner Wang Ter-chang will spearhead the Chinese Taipei onslaught winged by compatriots Lu Wen-teh and Lu Wei-chih. Wang, who is ranked 10th on the UBS Order of Merit, is tipped to stay with the frontrunners in Brunei as he has already strung together five top-20 finishes this season and one third place finish at the Enjoy Jakarata HSBC Indonesian Open. Lu enjoyed his best result this season when he was fourth at the Bangkok Airways Open.

Reigning Asian Tour number one Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand, India’s Jyoti Randhawa, Asian number one in 2002, and title holder Terry Pilkadaris are the other big-name players already confirmed for the Brunei Open.

August 11, 2006